Pulse: Who Will Buy Ardrossan?

Since the death of beloved society stalwart Robert Montgomery Scott last October, Ardrossan watchers wonder: What will happen to his Villanova estate, which is owned by Montgomery and Scott family trusts? An insider says the 100-plus acres left around the 1912 mansion will probably be carved up and sold off, as will the house itself. “Bob hoped the family would decide to donate a lot of the property to a foundation,” says one Main Line doyen, “but they’re looking for the most money possible from the deal.” (Family members earn income from various trusts; Scott reportedly left more than $6 million to be split among his companion, Margaret Anne Everitt; three employees; and his seven grandchildren.) That’s understandable, of course — but does it mean the fabled house will wind up surrounded by new mansionettes? For now, Everitt resides in Scott’s third-floor apartment; his niece lives on the second level; and the family opens the ground floor for countless charity events. “My hope is that someone like [philanthropist] Gerry Lenfest will come in and save the house and 50 acres or so around it,” says the well-connected source. “It’s a civic responsibility, for some, to try to maintain this last bit of Main Line heritage.”